Packing-machine for toothpicks and the like.



M. W. F ORSTER.

PACKING MACHINE FOR. TOOTHPIGKS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MARJ30, 191 1.

Patented May 21, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

KZMAJ 45.1

M. W. PORSTER.

PACKING MACHINE FOR TOOTHPIGKS AND THE LIKE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAILBO, 1911.

1,026,665. Patented May 21, 191.2.

3 SHEBTSSHEET 2.

M. W. FORSTER. PACKING MACHINE FOR TOOTHPICKS AND THE LIKE.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 30,1911.

1,026,665, 7 v Patented May 21, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Zdv'weases: 1910972267" COLUMBIA- FLANOGRAPH co., wAsHlNuToN. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAURICE W. FORSTER, 0F DIXFIELD, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO FORSTER MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF DIXFIELD, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

PACKING-MACHINE FOR TOOTI-IPICKS AND THE LIKE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAURIoE WV. FoRs'rER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Dixfield, in the county of Oxford and State of Maine, have invented new and useful Improvements in Packing-Machines for Toothpicks and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines and devices for packing in bulk such small, light articles as tooth pic is or similar splints.

The object of this invention is to pack articles such as above mentioned in a dense, compact body without danger of fracture or damage to any of the articles themselves, either for purposes of economy in storage or for both economy and safety in trans portation.

Such articles as wooden tooth picks when deposited in the ordinary way from a belt or pneumatic conveyer, arrange themselves in a rather loose mass in which the picks are mutually entangled and lie in every conceivable direction and position, so that as the bulk of the mass increases and the weight superincumbent upon the lower portion of the mass becomes greater, it is inevitable that many of the picks shall become broken or damaged especially in transportation, and moreover, such a mass is bulky for its weight and requires an undesirably large amount of space for storage. By means of the invention herein below described tooth picks and similar articles are condensed or packed progressively so that the bulk of a given weight of the articles is very materially diminished and so that they may be transported in such bulk with little or no damage since each pick is so closely surrounded and supported by its fellows that no one can be subjected to undue strain.

In the drawings hereto annexed which illustrate an example of my invention, Figure 1 shows an end. elevation of a portion of a packing apparatus; Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a plan view; Fig. 4 a vertical, longitudinal section of the packing devices; and Fig. 5 a cross section of the packer and a box or case into which the tooth picks or similar articles are packed.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, A represents comprehensively a delivery apparatus such as a chute through which the articles to Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 30, 1911.

Patented May 21, 1912.

Serial No. 617,808.

be packed, for instance tooth picks, are delivered to an inclined apron A from which they descend into the packer. B 'is the packer consisting of a partitioned frame presently to be described in detail. which fits within and rests on a box or case which is placed temporarily and during the packing operation upon the rails of a support D. This support is hung upon pivoted arms E, the pivots thereof being at E upon the said frames E Below the box 0 there is a lifter at F which consists preferably of a pneumatic plunger operated at will by means of a valve (not shown) under the control of the attending workman. A receiving frame or table G is provided with laterally projecting rails G over which boxes C may be slid when packed upon the table G. The packer B is provided with a bail B and a lifting chain B which depends from a bar H pivoted at H which may be raised and lowered by means of apparatus represented at H and which consists preferably of pneumatic operating devices easily controllable by a valve accessible to the workman.

The support D hung upon the pivoted links E is given a horizontal vibrating movement by means of the mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Upon a shaft M eccentrics M impart vibrating motion to the connections M which are joined to the frame D. Standards D on this frame are perforated to admit the passage of studs D which carry the clamping bar D Springs D between the standards D and the nuts on the stud D normally hold the clamping bar D against the standards. An eccentric E controlled by a handle E bears upon the back of the clamping bar D so that when the handle E is thrown over this clamping bar is moved toward the opposite fixed bar D The details of this mechanism are shown in Fig. 4. Thus when a box C is placed upon the frame D it may be clamped firmly in position by turning the handle E and bringing the clamping bar D tightly against the lower portion of the box C. When the box C is in this position the packer B is lowered into the box. The dimensions of this packer are such that its lower edges just clear the bottom of the box 0 when the packer is in place. The construction of the packer is best shown in Fig. 5. It is surmounted by a funnel B and is provided with a number of vertical longitudinal partitions B B and with one or more vertical, transverse partitions B Alternate longitudinal partitions as B have their upper edges lower than the intermediate partitions 13* and the top of the transverse partition B is cut in zigzag form as shown in Fig. 5. The longitudinal partitions taper downwardly so that the spaces bet-ween them are wider at the bottom than they are at the top. Measured transversely of the packer the distance between each adjoining pair of longitudinal partitions is materially less than the length of the articles to be packed and in the case of such articles as tooth picks this distance is preferably about of the length of a pick so that a pick may not bridge the space between two of the higher longitudinal partitions but must necessarily tip from the edges of the higher partition and thus be in position to slide-or fall into one or the other of the spaces between the longitudinal partitions. hen the packer B is in position in the box C as shown in Fig. 4t, wooden tooth picks or like articles are slid through the chute A and into the funnel B by way of the inclined apron A and the vibrating mechanism is set in motion causing the box C and the packer to vibrate longitudinally through say a distance of three to six inches. The vibration spreads out the tooth picks if they chance to fall in mass into the funnel B and frees each pick from entanglement with its neighbors so that the picks fall into the spaces between the partitions 13 B. The longitudinal vibration of the box and packer causes the picks to arrange themselves in a dense mass at the bottom of each space between the longitudinal partitions B B", most of the picks lying horizontally though some may arrange themselves in in clined or vertical bunches; all are closely crowded together by the progressive and therefore gentle action of the vibrator. As the spaces between the partitions are filled with the mass of picks shown at P in Figs. 41- and 5, the packer B may be lifted. The picks fill the narrow spaces left by the withdraw-a1 of the partitions B 13* and these partitions being tapered downwardly clear themselves readily from the mass of picks and do not tend to lift the picks as they might were it not for this clearance. hen enough picks have thus been packed to fill the case C the vibrating mechanism is stopped, the packer is lifted entirely out of the case, the clamping bar I) is released and the case lifted by means of the pneumatic lift F and shoved over the rails G to the receiving table G.

In the case of tooth picks approximately three times the weight of the picks can be packed in the box as compared with picks loosely massed together as heretofore. The economy in storage room is obvious and it will be found also that picks thus packed in bulk may be transported with greater safety than picks loosely packed.

lVhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a contrivance for densely packing toothpicks or similar articles, the combination of a support, means to vibrate the support, means adapted to secure a box to the support, a frame to fit vertically slidable in such a box, said frame comprising parallel vertical partitions, and means to raise the frame on the box.

2. In a contrivance for densely packing toothpicks or similar articles, the combination of a support, means to vibrate the support, means adapted to secure a box to the support, a frame to fit vertically slidable in such a box, said frame comprising parallel vertical partitions tapered downwardly, and means to raise the frame on the box.

3. A contrivance for densely packing tooth picks or similar articles, which consists of a support, means to vibrate the sup port, and a frame adapted to fit within a box on the support, comprising parallel vertical partitions with top edges at diverse levels.

4. A contrivance for densely packing tooth picks or similar articles, which consists of a support, means to vibrate the support, and a frame adapted to fit within a box on the support, comprising parallel vertical partitions, every other partition having its top edge lower than that of the intermediate partitions.

A contrivance for densely packing tooth picks or similar articles, which consists of a support, means to vibrate the support, a frame adapted to fit within a box on the support, comprising parallel vertical partitions, and means to lift the frame.

Signed by me at Dixfield, Maine, this 22nd day of March 1911.

MAURICE FORSTER. lVitnesses HENRIETTA B. THOMPSON, NATHANIEL B. VVooDsUM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

